> My impossible dream is a bit bigger than getting in a car and driving to somewhere or other. I'd like to bike it (and not a motorbike either). It'd be cool to just be able to get on my bike and come back when I feel like it. There are some additional logistical problems to this though. Namely, I can't carely very much on my bike. To be able to make it work I'd really need to plan it all out and have someone to do some driving, ferrying my suppiles (tent, food, change of clothing etc) from one place to the next. On top of that I can only go so far at a time I don't know how easy it would be to plan a route so that there are places for camping every 90 or 100 km.
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> Now, assuming it could be made to work, a week or so of this would be nice. But I think it would be really cool to take a whole summer for it...
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> If I can bike 15 km an hour for 5 hours a day for 6 days a week I should be able to get all the way across the country (Canada that is) in a little over 13 weeks. It's "only" about 6000 km. And then fly home. That would be an amazing adventure. Unfortunately it would also be entirely impractical since I don't have 13 weeks to spare (or the cash to spare for the associated expenses, or anyone willing to take 13 weeks to ferry the important things like food) not to mention the fact that that's a really long way to bike and I'm really not that amazingly athletic. Also it seems a little bit crazy to just decide to do something like this without a reason. I suppose one reason would be "I want to see the country" but that seems kind of lame when compared to 6000 km or when compared to 13 weeks for that matter.
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> Still...It almost seems possible...if only I had 13 weeks...
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> Rivi"entirely insane"kah

Your impossible dream is very possible, but you need to start small.

A builder doesn't start by building a skyscraper. He usually nails together a few smaller buildings like a shed or a garage and then works his way up to a house, or a store and after a few years, he is ready for the big one.

Start out with that 15 kilometers an hour and plan a one-day trip. At that leisurely pace you can ride to another town or some destination between towns. Stop over for lunch and ride home again. Do it on a weekend. Then take a short ride every day until the next weekend and plan a slightly longer trip. After a few weeks of this, you will be pleased at how much further you can go without getting overly tired.

The first week, don't carry anything but water and enough money for lunch. The next week carry a lunch. Before you know it, you will be doing 100 kilometers round trip, and carrying several pounds of cargo. Don't start a long bicycle trip without getting in shape first.

There are lots of different ways to pack for a bike trip. Most long distance bikers will tell you to keep it light or put the heavy stuff down low. Others like to spread the weight around with a backpack and a luggage rack over the back wheel. Most agree that a basket on the front is good for only the lightest stuff, and you might be better off with no cargo on the front at all. Heavy steering makes you work harder and will limit your range. By planning to ride only in daylight, you can reduce the number of lights and reflectors needed, but don't eleminate them completely.

You may never find time for the coast-to-coast juant, but you will enjoy the shorter trips. Remember, there is no more effecient form of land transportation than a bicycle.

And like any trip, planning will help you avoid a lot unpleasant surprises.
How"two block limit"ard